Carrying case with freely hinged closure

ABSTRACT

A carrying case with a freely hinged closure or flap wherein the hinge member which connects the closure flap to the side wall of the carrying case is formed of a strip or strips of flexible material with a longitudinal member, preferably circular in cross-section, longitudinally secured to the strip intermediate the opposite longitudinal edges of the strip wherein the strip forms a pair of hinge segments, with the longitudinal member forming a hinge line, with one segment connected to the side of the case and the other segment connected to the flap to provide a hinge member whereby the closure flap or flaps may be positioned in open position outwardly of the open end of the bag so as not to interfere with the opening and provide a maximum open surface for access into the interior of the bag. The longitudinal member may be rigid or may be flexible.

United States Patent [191 Doppelt 51 May 22, 1973 154] CARRYING CASE WITH FREELY HINGED CLOSURE [76] Inventor: Mandel A. Doppelt, 7218 Kedvale Avenue, Lincolnwood, 111.

22 Filed: May 17,1971

21 App1.No.: 144,010

[52] US. Cl. ..190/48, 150/1.6, 190/54 [51] Int. Cl ..A45c 3/00 [58] Field of Search ..190/48, 54, 41 R;

ISO/1.6, 7', 220/31 S; 229/44 R; 16/128 R, 150,157, DIG. 13; 281/23, 27, 29

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,169,615 2/1965 Stein ..190/48 1,913,969 6/1933 Wood ..281/23 Primary ExaminerSamuel B. Rothberg Assistant ExaminerStephen Marcus AttorneyMax R. Kraus [57] ABSTRACT A carrying case with a freely hinged closure or flap wherein the hinge member which connects the closure flap to the side wall of the carrying case is formed of a strip or strips of flexible material with a longitudinal member, preferably circular in cross-section, longitudinally secured to the strip intermediate the opposite longitudinal edges of the strip wherein the strip forms a pair of hinge segments, with the longitudinal member forming a hinge line, with one segment connected to the side of the case and the other segment connected to the flap to provide a hinge member whereby the closure flap or flaps may be positioned in open position outwardly of the open end of the bag so as not to interfere with the opening and provide a maximum open surface for access into the interior of the bag. The longitudinal member may be rigid or may be flexible.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented May 22, 1973 3,734,250

CARRYING CASE WITH FREELY IIINGED CLOSURE BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The prior art shows carrying cases or brief cases in which the closure flaps are formed integral with the sides and reliance is therefore placed on the material from which they are made to serve as a pivotal connection or, in effect, form the hinge of the case. The disadvantages of such a construction are that the flap or flaps tend to extend over the open end of the bag when the flap is in open position and thereby to restrict the opening, and also, the formed hinge line tends to weaken by the continuous opening and closing of the flap and in due time the hinge line will tear as said hinge line must support the weight of the bag and its contents.

Another type of bag is one formed with a piano hinge of metal and the disadvantages of this type is that due to the weight to be supported the metal hinge tends to bend or distort and also the cost of such a hinge is relatively expensive. Another objectionable feature is that the metal hinge is exposed along the upper edges of the bag and could scrape the shin or other part of the leg of the person carrying the bag.

All of the foregoing disadvantages are eliminated by this invention in that there is provided a hinge formed of a flexible material with a longitudinal member of circular cross-section which may be rigid, such as a rod, or a longitudinal member of circular cross-section which may be flexible, such as a cord, secured to the flexible member intermediate the longitudinal edges of same wherein the flexible strip forms a pair of hinge segments, one of which is stitched to the side of the bag and the other stitched to the closure flap and this construction achieves all of the advantages of the pianotype hinge without any of the disadvantages inherent therein. The structure of this invention can be produced much more economically and provides a hinge line which is strong and is able to withstand the pivotal action of the opening and closing of the flap and the hinge means are in effect hidden from the exterior of the bag.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrying case employing the hinge member of this invention and also showing the closure flaps when open in dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hinge member forming this invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view showing one manner of securing the hinge member to the flap and to the side of the carrying case.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another manner of securing the hinge member, and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another manner of securing the hinge member.

The carrying case or luggage bag is known in the trade as a catalog case, although it will be understood that this invention is not limited specifically to that type of carrying case. The body of the carrying case is generally designated by the numeral and comprises a pair of spaced vertical sides or side walls 12, a bottom 14, and a pair of spaced end walls 16, all of which are suitably attached or sewn, as is well-known in the art. The body 10 of the case or bag may be formed of any suitable sheet material such as multi-ply plastic material, or

multi-ply leather material, or leather-like material, or leather, or the body may be formed of single ply sheet material. Whether formed of multiple sheets or single ply, the body of the bag is preferably substantially rigid. This is well known in the art and does not form a feature of this invention.

The upper end of the bag is formed to provide an open area bounded by the sides and end walls, however, the upper open end is adapted to be closed by means of a pair of overlapping closure flaps l8 and 20, each of said flaps being hingedly connected to the side walls 12 by means of the hinge members generally designated by the numeral 22 and said hinge members form the subject matter of this invention and will be subsequently described in detail. The closure flaps l8 and 20 may be formed of substantially the same material as the body of the bag and likewise are substantially rigid. The flap 18 which forms the underlying flap is preferably of a width slightly less than the width of the bag and said underlying flap is provided with a suitable handle 24 which is adapted to project through a slot 26 formed in the other or overlapping flap 20. The flap 18 is provided with the customary locking hardware 28 which is engaged by latching members 30 on the overlapping flap 20 to lock the two flaps in their overlapping and closed position. This is conventional.

The feature forming this invention comprises the hinge member generally designated by the numeral 22 and best shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. The hinge member is formed of a pair of elongated strips both identified by the numeral 32 of flexible sturdy material or flexible sheets having longitudinal edges 34 with opposite end edges 36. A rigid member, preferably a rod 38 which is circular in cross-section is sandwiched longitudinally between the two plies or strips and the two strips with the sandwiched rod are sewn together by spaced longitudinally extending lines of stitching 40 and 42. The said lines of stitching are adjacent the rod or rigid member and in effect form a pocket between the two strips 32 for confining the longitudinally extending rod 38 therebetween. The rod 38 is secured intermediate the longitudinal edges 34 of the strips and preferably centrally thereof so that there is provided a pair of hinge segments or hinge leaves 44 and 46, one on each side of the rod.

The opposite ends 36 of the two strips are folded inwardly as at 48 and overlap the adjacent ends of the strip and the ends in such overlapped position are stitched as at 50 to the strips to thereby enclose the ends of the rod and provide a hinge unit or hinge member which is generally self-contained and which is ready for application to the bag. The two strips 32 are formed preferably of a vinyl material having a nylon cord therein. I have found that a product known under the trademark Herculite is such a product which is sufficiently flexible and of sufficient strength to form an effective hinge so that the repeated opening and closing of the flaps will not weaken the hinge line and the weight of the bag and the contents can be carried and supported by the hinge members 22. Further, the hinge members 22 thus formed are strong and durable and will last the life of the bag.

The hinge member 22 is sewn to the side of the bag and to the flap and may be sewn in the manner shown in either FIGS. 3, 4 or 5. FIG. 3 shows the hinge member 22 with one of the hinge segments or hinge leaves, for example 46, stitched as at 52 to the inside of the side wall 12, with the other hinge segment or hinge leaf 44 stitched as at 54 to the inside of one of the closure flaps 18 or 20. The other closure flap is similarly secured to the other side wall 12 of the bag. When the hinge members 22 are sewn to the inside of the side wall and to the inside of the closure flap very little of the hinge member is visible from the outside of the bag. The only visible portion would be that portion of the outer strip 32 which extends along the rod 38.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the closure flap 18a is formed of several plies of material and the hinge segment or leaf 44 of the hinge member 22 is secured between the plies by stitching as at 54 and the other segment 46 of the hinge member is secured by stitching as at 56 between the several plies forming the side wall 12a of the bag.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the edge of the closure flap 18b is sandwiched between the strips 32 and secured to the closure flap by stitching 58. The top edge of the side wall 12b of the bag is similarly sandwiched between the strips 32 forming the segment 44 and stitched thereto by stitching 60.

The hinging takes place along the longitudinal rod 38 and the portions of the two strips 32 which surround and envelop the rod. These combine to form a hinge line, the axis of which is on the longitudinal axis of the rod 38. The rod 38 is positioned in close proximity to the longitudinal edge of the closure flap and the longitudinal edge of the sides of the bag.

The hinge members 22 formed in accordance with this invention provide very sturdy hinge means which can support the weight which might be applied in carrying the case with its contents. It will also permit the hinging or pivotal action of the closure flaps to be moved from their overlapping closure position, shown in full line in FIG. 1, to the open position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1, where they extend laterally and horizontally of the open end of the bag so as not to interfere with the opening and provide a maximum open surface for access into the interior of the bag.

This invention also embraces a hinge wherein instead of using a rigid rod like 38 previously described, in lieu of such rod there is a longitudinal member of circular cross-section which is flexible or semi-flexible, such as a cord, and said longitudinal member is secured in the manner previously described. The rod 38 or the cord would provide the hinge line.

What is claimed is:

1. In a luggage bag including sides and a movable closure flap to close an open end of the bag, a hinge member between an edge of at least one of the sides and an edge of the flap, said hinge member comprising a strip of flexible material and a flexible longitudinal member longitudinally secured to said strip and centrally positioned between the opposite longitudinal edges of the strip to form a pair of hinge segments with the hinge segments extending on opposite sides of the longitudinal member, and means for securing one of the hinge segments to the side and the other to the flap.

2. In a luggage bag including vertical sides and a movable closure flap to extend in a horizontal position to close the top open end of the bag, a hinge member between the top longitudinal edge of at least one of said vertical sides and the longitudinal edge of the horizontal flap, said hinge member comprising a strip of flexible material and a continuous longitudinal member of circular cross-section longitudinally secured to said strip intermediate the opposite longitudinal edges of the strip to form a pair of hinge segments with the hinge segments extending on opposite sides of the longitudinal member, means for securing one of the hinge segments to the vertical side and the other to the horizon tal flap, said continuous longitudinal member positioned adjacent the top longitudinal edge of the vertical side and adjacent the longitudinal edge of the closure flap and forming a longitudinal rounded corner between said vertical side and said horizontal closure flap.

3. A luggage bag as set forth in claim 2 in which the hinge member is formed of a pair of strips of flexible material with the longitudinal member sandwiched between and in which the pair of strips are secured together by lines of stitching extending along the length of the strip and adjacent the longitudinal member.

4. A luggage bag as set forth in claim 3 in which the opposite ends of the strip are secured together to prevent the longitudinal member from slipping out of the ends of the hinge member.

5. A luggage bag as set forth in claim 2 in which the longitudinal member is a rigid rod.

6. A luggage bag as set forth in claim 2 in which the longitudinal member is a cord. 

1. In a luggage bag including sides and a movable closure flap to close an open end of the bag, a hinge member between an edge of at least one of the sides and an edge of the flap, said hinge member comprising a strip of flexible material and a flexible longitudinal member longitudinally secured to said strip and centrally positioned between the opposite longitudinal edges of the strip to form a pair of hinge segments with the hinge segments extending on opposite sides of the longitudinal member, and means for securing one of the hinge segments to the side and the other to the flap.
 2. In a luggage bag including vertical sides and a movable closure flap to extend in a horizontal position to close the top open end of the bag, a hinge member between the top longitudinal edge of at least one of said vertical sides and the longitudinal edge of the horizontal flap, said hinge member comprising a strip of flexible material and a continuous longitudinal member of circular cross-section longitudinally secured to said strip intermediate the opposite longitudinal edges of the strip to form a pair of hinge segments with the hinge segments extending on opposite sides of the longitudinal member, means for securing one of the hinge segments to the vertical side and the other to the horizontal flap, said continuous longitudinal member positioned adjacent the top longitudinal edge of the vertical side and adjacent the longItudinal edge of the closure flap and forming a longitudinal rounded corner between said vertical side and said horizontal closure flap.
 3. A luggage bag as set forth in claim 2 in which the hinge member is formed of a pair of strips of flexible material with the longitudinal member sandwiched between and in which the pair of strips are secured together by lines of stitching extending along the length of the strip and adjacent the longitudinal member.
 4. A luggage bag as set forth in claim 3 in which the opposite ends of the strip are secured together to prevent the longitudinal member from slipping out of the ends of the hinge member.
 5. A luggage bag as set forth in claim 2 in which the longitudinal member is a rigid rod.
 6. A luggage bag as set forth in claim 2 in which the longitudinal member is a cord. 